How much can be said that &amp;#147;Macbeth&amp;#148; is a Horror Story?

Extracts from this document...

Introduction

How much can be said that "Macbeth" is a Horror Story? I believe that a horror is a story which entertains the audience by scaring them. Many aspects of horror should be used, ranging from: animal imagery to Murder. "Macbeth," was set in the Elizabethan times. The story was not just written for entertaining the public, but mainly for the king who was, at that time, James 1st Of England or James 6th Of Scotland. The story is based on another play found in Scottish history. It involved Banquo and Macbeth killing Duncan, but this would be tactless to suggest that James was descended from a regicide. For Shakespeare to make this play appeal directly to the king he had to involve witchcraft because James was scared of witches and Shakespeare knew this because James wrote a book on it prior to the play. I think most of the good horror films today involve murder, obsession and romance. I believe Shakespearean audiences would have enjoyed supernatural and fate to be the main factors of the play. They would have enjoyed these factors of a horror story because witches were a scary a thrilling subject at that time. I think for, "Macbeth," to be classed as a horror film, in Shakespearean times, it should contain: supernatural, murder, perversion, madness and animal imagery. ...read more.

Middle

Macbeth wants to try and dismiss thoughts from his conscience so he can concentrate on the witches prophecy so his ambition will come true. When Macbeth hears about his wife's death he isn't very concerned, "Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player, a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage , and then is heard no more." This implies that Macbeth thinks life is insignificant and is merely a wandering object. Shakesphere has related his play to what Macbeth thinks of life, Macbeth believes that people live their life on earth and then they die. As Macbeth has murdered so many people he is used to murder now, " I have almost forgotten the taste of fear." Macbeth has forgotten what fear is like because he has been exposed to something incredibly stronger than fear and now here is alone to fulfil his ambitions. Macbeth realises that his crown is, "Fruitless," and his sceptre, "Barren." He murdered Duncan in order to make the witches prophecy come true, but now he plots to murder Banquo and Fleance so the witches' promise to Banquo may not come true. "Macbeth," is made up of a great deal of Murder, but it also contains perversion. Lady Macbeth experienced a very weird type of perversion because with the pressure from the murders she couldn't cope and cracked. ...read more.

Conclusion

cauldron boil and bake; eye of newt, and toe of frog wool of bat, tongue of dog, adder's fork and blind worm's sting, lizards leg, and howlet's wing, for a charm of powerful trouble, like a hell-broth boil and bubble." Macbeth and Lady Macbeth can't see good from evil. Macbeth is murder motivated and turns to the witches again for help. He has turned to the dark side. Macbeth is addicted to power and murder. As Macbeth went back to the witches he turned to the dark side or the evil side, this means he is like a devil and the, "Sacrilegious act," that he committed means nothing to him now, but before he was sorry for what he had done, "I have liv'd long enough : my way of life I fall'n into the sere, the yellow leaf, and that which should accompany old age as honour, love, obedience, troops of friends." I conclude that, "Macbeth," contains many different aspects of horror and I can safely say that, "Macbeth," was a horror story in the Shakespearean times. I believe that, "Macbeth," today, is not classed as a play of horror because not many people see witches as frightening. "Hansel & Gretel" and "Snowwhite and the seven dwarfs," both of these famous children stories involve witches this proves that in today's world, witches aren't scary. Most modern films don't include fate or supernatural, but more murder and obsession. ...read more.

The above preview is unformatted text

This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Macbeth section.

Related GCSE Macbeth essays

(A1, Sc3, Ln70) it makes you wonder whether he's already thought about what they are saying about being king. The witches seem to know that Macbeth already wants to become King and that he will become Thane of Cawdor. Macbeth and the witches seem unnaturally close and act with one mind, but the witches have the overall control.

Her belief in their great venture overrides all else. It becomes an obsession with her, as it must with her husband. We watch with admiration as she manipulates Macbeth, using all her feminine wiles to achieve her purpose. How well she understands her husband and his needs. She knows immediately that murdering Duncan is the only way of quickly achieving her goal "He that's coming, Must be provided for."

This weakness of mind is another fault of Macbeth's and in addition to his greed and uncertain thoughts; we find he is easily manipulated. She knows that she will have to urge her husband on to becoming king. She will give up all her gentle, tender qualities as a woman, so she can become a sexless, pitiless fiend.

"A creamy smiling pool of a face." This gives us a soft and comforting approach. However, Lively has also hidden a sense of menace in the words she uses to describe the old lady, as we are told, "her eyes snapped and darted", which is quite unnerving, as if she is eyeing the children up in an unpleasant way.

point of the spell as they add "The finger of a birth-strangled babe, Ditch delivered by a drab" This ingredient is the most disturbing part of the play so far. This symbolises innocence being sacrificed for the gain of evil, and to aid evil in its acts.

Shakespeare uses Macbeth to contrast King Duncan, very well. Shakespeare quickly establishes that Macbeth has all the qualities, that a king should not. Shakespeare increasingly associates Macbeth with the forces of darkness, and the supernatural. Through him he presents a concept of kingship contradictory, to that of Duncan, which was of enlightenment and knowledge.

The witches disorder and turmoil because they influence Macbeth's decisions that often lead to disorder and to people getting killed. The events that happen in the play make you ask yourself questions. Questions like, was Banquo's ghost really there in Act III Scene 4 or was it Macbeth's mind playing tricks on him.

I think that the witches have an enormous role in forming the plot and keeping it fuelled and interesting. This theory is first shown in the very first scene when the witches meet up in a 'desolate place': "Fair is foul, and foul is fair, Hover through the fog and filthy air."